---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:recommendations/community-and-stakeholder-engagement"
type: "GovLab policy recommendation"
title: "Community and stakeholder engagement"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/community-and-stakeholder-engagement"
summary: "Engage communities and other stakeholders to make messaging strategies context specific and culturally relevant."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Community and stakeholder engagement

Engage communities and other stakeholders to make messaging strategies context specific and culturally relevant.

- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/), [all recommendations](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations)

## Strategy 1

National and state governments should work with local governments,universities,companies and community activists to focus on making differences at the local and community level. Where possible,messaging should be targeted to specific populations and groups to ensure it is relevant and resonates with those individuals.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Private Sector, Academia, Civil Society, Healthcare Providers, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Research, Policy/Legislative/Regulatory, Communications, Partnerships
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/national-and-state-governments-should-work-with-lo

### Actions governments should take (strategy 1)

1. Identify the target audience.. Audiences can be specific ages, demographics, geographic communities, language groups, etc.
2. Define the groups as specifically as possible (geographically, racially/ethnically, age breakdown, sex/gender, language groups, etc.).
3. Identify communications tools that are most effective at reaching these target audiences. These may include social media, television, radio, paper pamphlets, SMS, etc. Online tools like google ads may be particularly effective at reaching multiple audiences with targeted messages.
4. [Study the effectiveness of messaging through monitoring and evaluation tools (see testing messaging).](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DzmSxBT6rqoewafUMNmdEHmjYREZ0bLnqr4JCIP1ZgE/edit#heading=h.3ojt37altr3i)
5. Work with other levels of government to coordinate with local actors.

### Examples from around the world (strategy 1)

1. [The UN Global Pulse team in Uganda is using AI and radio monitoring technology to identify COVID-19 keywords spoken in the local dialect. This information is then used to tailor their COVID-19 response to the specific discourse happening at the local level. Applying this global tool to specific contents allowed them to monitor for outbreaks, manage misinformation, and report on social and economic impact.](https://www.unglobalpulse.org/2020/05/using-speech-to-text-technology-to-support-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic/)

## Strategy 2

Engage the public and/or targeted groups in the design and development of public health messaging strategies. Ensure a transparent process of content development to increase trust with the public.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Civil Society, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Communications, Partnerships
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/engage-the-public-and/or-targeted-groups-in-the-de

### Actions governments should take (strategy 2)

1. Recruit a public panel to help design the presentation of the messaging content ideas.
2. Post information online or write articles describing the process by which messaging was developed and how the public was engaged in the development of the messaging strategy.
3. [Host a town hall where the public can ask questions to the experts or the government. The government can televise, live stream, or otherwise host this forum on a free and public platform to ensure it has broad reach to many segments of the population.](https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/press-briefings)
4. Coordinate citizen-led messaging campaigns, where members of the public are the main spokespersons and public faces for public health messaging.
5. [Explain what is known and unknown about the disease and the steps necessary to control its spread to enhance public trust.](https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2013.840696)
6. Avoid over reassurance and fostering unrealistic expectations (e.g. everything will be fine in 2 weeks).

### Examples from around the world (strategy 2)

1. The government of the State of New York developed a contest to create a public service announcement communicating the importance of wearing a mask. They received over 600 submissions as part of the "[Wear a Mask New York Ad Contest](https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/wear-mask-new-york-ad-contest-winner-announced)" and had New Yorkers vote on the videos. In total there were over 186,000 votes cast. New York will be using the 1st and 2nd place ads for public service announcements. Here is a link to the winning [video](https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/wear-mask-new-york-ad-contest-winner-announced).

## Strategy 3

Write and publish template pledges that businesses can adapt for their own needs. Include evidence based safety measures and encourage businesses to bring these pledges to discussion with their employees.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Private Sector, Academia, Civil Society, Essential Workers, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Policy/Legislative/Regulatory, Communications, Partnerships
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/write-and-publish-template-pledges-that-businesses

### Actions governments should take (strategy 3)

1. Identify the specific needs businesses have at the current stage of the pandemic
2. Write template pledges that are as accessible as possible using clear language offered in multiple languages pledges.
3. Work with businesses to promote the message that pledges improve safety in the workplace, and they can also improve business by establishing trust with customers.

### Examples from around the world (strategy 3)

1. [New Jersey has created templates that businesses and employees can adapt to their needs. The campaign is designed to help build trust and solidarity between employees and employers as well as between customers and businesses.](https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/reopening-guidance-and-restrictions/how-can-businesses-organizations-and-residents-support-new-jerseys-restart-and-recovery-what-is-the-one-jersey-pledge#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20One%20Jersey%20Pledge%3F,-Last%20Updated%3A%2006&text=To%20help%20stop%20the%20spread,and%20social%20restart%20and%20recovery.)

## Strategy 4

Governments should enlist influencers like athletes,celebrities,or trusted politicians to deliver key messages to the broader public. Who is an influencer in a given community can be determined using sentiment analysis techniques that analyze who follows whom on Twitter.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Civil Society, Organized Civil Society
- Type: Communications, Partnerships
- Strategy page: https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/governments-should-enlist-influencers-like-athlete

### Actions governments should take (strategy 4)

1. Identify the target audience. Who delivers the message is deeply dependent on the where and the population segments governments are trying to reach. Audiences can be specific ages, demographics, geographic communities, language groups, etc.
2. Identify influencers among the target audience or population. Celebrities, sports figures, scientists are all good examples of who might be trusted sources, but the specific influencer(s) will depend on the target audience.
3. Consult the influencer on how to best reach their followers. These individuals will likely have their own strategies for messaging and outreach.
4. Ensure that the content of the messaging that the influencer delivers is based on accurate, precise, scientific, and consistent information).

### Examples from around the world (strategy 4)

1. [The Secretariat of Health from Ceara-Brazil, partnered with digital creator Suricate Seboso, a humorous Instagram and Facebook account with over 6 million followers. The partnership produced content targeted at a young audience that communicated the risks of COVID-19 and how people can protect themselves from the virus.](https://www.facebook.com/suricateseboso/)